A Taste of Her Own Medicine
by WiseGirl0801
Summary: It's the 76th Hunger Games, but this time, it's the Capitol children, not the District children, sent to the arena to fight: fight or die.
1. Chapter 1

**Remember when, in Mockingjay, Coin says that there will be another Hunger Games with the Capitol children? Well, what if Paylor couldn't do anything about it? What if it went on? This story is told from Katrina Snow's POV, an OC I made up; she is the granddaughter of Pres. Snow. **

**Okay, enough rambling. Enjoy!**

**This is set about six months after Snow and Coin's death, but everyone recovered much quicker.**

**Disclaimer: If you think I own THG... you are in for some major disappointments. *laughs evilly* **

I sighed. I couldn't cry. I am the president's granddaughter. I do not show weakness. Grandpa's death was hard to process. But this... I twisted a strand of my bright, neon pink hair.

I couldn't believe I, Katrina Snow, was going into the Hunger Games. That was to keep the Districts in line... until the rebels took the Capital, of course.

I scowled at my full length body mirror. I was waiting for the train that was to take me to the arena that the rebels had designed. I was sure it wouldn't be too bad - the rebels only had one Game-maker, Plutarch Heavensbee.

I sighed again. _The worst part, _I thought, _would be to fight against my friends. _

I had no idea who would be in the arena with me.

I finally turned from my mirror. I wasn't exactly sure what to wear, but I had seen Hunger Games all thirteen years of my life, so I had a vague idea.

I wore sparkly, glittery jeans, a white t-shirt with ruffles on the neckline, and a black, leather designer jacket. My curly pink hair I left alone - it was perfect already - but I applied a fresh layer of make-up. I had had gems implanted into my irises just for this occasion.

I sat down on by bed, waiting impatiently for someone who was supposed to "retrieve" me. I wondered who would - I hoped it wasn't one of the major-league rebels. That would be just weird.

_"Hey, I'm here to retrieve you for your death."_

_"Yay! Let's go!"_

_"So... you enjoy the Capitol?"_

_"Yeah, until you guys came and burned it and killed Grandpa."_

_"Yes, that was awesome..."_

_"No it wasn't!"_

I shook my head. All this was confusing me.

Just then there was a knock on the door. I took a deep breath, smoothed out my clothes, and went to the door.

Opening it, I finally saw who was going to retrieve me. Katniss Everdeen, the heart of the revolution. Grandpa's enemy. I gulped.

"Hello, Katrina. I'm here to escort you to the train. Would you please follow me?" Katniss asked. Her tone was polite enough, but I could see smoldering rage in her eyes. She hated me because she hated Grandpa.

Well, I could handle that. I wasn't too fond of her, either.

-o-O-o-

I followed Katniss down the hallway; I knew this path, but I didn't step ahead of her. She was four years older than me, and I didn't want to die in the arena because I angered her. I was going to live.

I was still thinking about how my hair would go with my arena outfit when we arrived at the train station. Several rebels stood next to the doors.

"Up you go, Katrina," Katniss said. She roughly pushed me up the stairs, then climbed in after me.

She led me to a table, and the rebels from outside as well as Katniss sat down; they waited for me to do the same.

Finally I did, just because me legs were tired. "Why are you here?" I asked, frowning at everyone.

A young man with blond hair and blue eyes - Peeta Mellark, I remembered - said in a calm voice, "We're here to tell you how this will be played out."

**I know it was short, but I didn't want to explain the full seventy-sixth HG idea here, so... yeah. Hope you enjoyed!**


	2. Chapter 2

**Disclaimer: I disclaim anything that will get me sued.**

I watched as the rebels talked amongst themselves, trying to decide what to tell me. Finally, Peeta looked up.

"Okay, Katrina. You will have a mentor, who will help you try and get through the Games. You will also have a stylist, who will help you look your best for the chariot ride and the interviews."

I opened my mouth to ask a question, but Peeta cut me off. "Is that everything?" Another rebel nodded silently.

"Will my mentor and stylist be rebels?" I asked. Everyone looked at me.

"Yes," someone said carefully. I frowned in their general direction.

"Stay here, Katrina," Katniss said. Then she stood, along with all the rebels.

They walked off to have a private conversation, leaving me wondering who was going to be my stylist and mentor.

-o-O-o-

When the rebels returned, the train had just started, and I was playing with my hair.

"Katrina, we have decided who will be your stylist and mentor," a young man with straight black hair and gray eyes said. Gale Hawthorne, I remembered. I think.

Katniss spoke up again. "Beetee has volunteered to mentor for you. And Octavia said earlier she was going to be your stylist."

I processed her words for a second before asking, "Beetee... as in the Victor/Mentor/Rebel Beetee?"

A man in a wheelchair nodded. "Yes. I'm Beetee. Nice to meet you, Katrina."

I nodded back at him. I sensed the same thing as with Katniss when she came to retrieve me. He spoke in a polite tone, but there was anger in his eyes. I sighed. No one in the room seemed to like me.

I nodded again, trying to convince myself it would be fine; Beetee would not make me die on purpose. "So... what do I do now?" I asked, sensing this conversation was closed.

Everyone except Beetee stood and left. Just as the door was closing, I caught a snippet of their conversation.

_"She'll never make it."_

_"You never know... she could have some of Snow's poison."_

_"Ha. As if. Nice thinking, Gale."_

_"Why, thank you."_

I scowled at the closed door. _So they thought I wasn't going to win? _

"Katrina?" Beetee asked. His voice was monotone; he seemed to be trying to hold back anger.

"Yeah?" I replied. I figured that if he was my mentor, I better be polite to him.

"Tomorrow are the chariot rides. Get some sleep." I nodded and walked down the hall to my room.

-o-O-o-

I was jolted awake by what I believed was my stylist's face. "Hello, Katrina! I'm Octavia!"

She was plump, but pretty. She had colored skin; I should get that when I return. "Hello," I said tiredly.

Just then, Beetee wheeled himself into the room. "We've arrived at the Training Center, Katrina. Octavia's going to get you ready for the chariot rides. See you soon." I nodded, and slipped out of bed.

"Oh, Katrina, wait 'til you see your outfit!" Octavia squealed, and I smiled at her. It was nice to have _someone_ who understood fashion.

I hopped out of bed, and shooed Octavia out as I changed to walk to the Training Center.

I grabbed a long-sleeve lavender silk dress that went to my ankles. I put on a shimmery, sparkly, silver shawl and tied it with a lavender ribbon I found. Then, after I put glitter in my hair, I was ready. I stepped outside of my room, and Octavia _ohhed_ and _ahhed_. I smiled at her again, and we walked outside, down a short walkway, and into a building that I believed was the Training Center.

We walked inside; there was several guards and the president herself, Paylee, or something like that.

"Hello, Katrina," the president said. She had the voice like the rest of the rebels, a strained voice that told me she didn't really like me. "Your floor will be the number stamped on your hand. Your floor is where you will stay until... until the Games," she said. I nodded.

"Thank you, Commander Paylor!" Octavia trilled. _Commander?_ I opened my mouth to ask why Paylee - sorry, Paylor - didn't demand more respect. Grandpa always did. However, Octavia shoved me to the stamping station, where she seemed to have a silent conversation with the guards. Everyone seemed hurried. I quickly got my stamp and was pushed into the elevator before I could even see my hand.

-o-O-o-

Octavia push a button that I assumed was mine. I finally looked at my hand; seeing my number.

On my hand, stamped clearly in blank ink, was the number 13.

"How many... "tributes" are there?" I asked, hesitating a bit on the word _tribute_.

"Twenty-five," Octavia replied, too quickly for my taste. It was starting to seem like she was a rebel too, when I was really hoping she was from the Capitol.

"Twenty-five," I mused softly. "Twenty-five."

I considered this new piece of information, when suddenly, a thought came to me.

"That's one more than usual," I stated.

Octavia smiled slyly. "They wanted it to be twenty-four. But they made an exception. They wanted it to hurt more."

"For who?" I asked, feeling sorry; not too sorry, but sorry, for the person.

"You," Octavia replied simply.

**Dun, dun, duuuuuun! Hope you guys liked it!**


	3. Chapter 3

**Okay, just a warning: If the process of getting ready for the Games is different than the book, that's because the rebels didn't want it to be the exact same as Snow's games, but still close. I think I have it correct, but I'm not sure. Umm... yeah. Continue. **

**Disclaimer: Look. I know I don't own THG. You (hopefully) know I don't own THG. So why do I keep having to say this?! Suzanne Collins owns THG. :P**

We were silent until the doors opened and we stepped into my new home for a couple of days.

"Well?" I asked, harsher than I had been with Octavia before. "What happens now?"

"Now?" Octavia asked. "Well, now I show you your outfit!"

She was back to her perky self; I was not. I followed her glumly down a hall, and into a room.

Octavia scanned me, seeming to be taking measurements. "This will work," she muttered as she all but ran out the room. I looked around me. There was a table, a plush chair, and two doors - the one that I had come in from, and one opposite from it.

I had just sat down on the chair when Octavia came walking in. I could tell she carried a hanger, but I could only see a sheet after that. Octavia ordered me to change. I slipped out of my dress, and Octavia helped me into my new outfit - I was closing my eyes. Octavia's orders.

"And... OPEN!" Octavia called. I blinked a couple times, and then realized I was standing in front of a full-body mirror. It was quite like my own. And then, I saw my outfit.

Octavia had used full advantage of my pink hair; my dress was the exact same color. It went down to just below my knees, and the sleeves just before my elbows. The neckline was decorated with tiny, flashing lights that blinked in every color imaginable. I twirled. Octavia grinned. "That's not all," she said with a smile. I smiled back.

She handed me a pair of nylons, then, as I put them on, fastened a headband onto my curls. When I looked up, I noticed that the headband also had flashing lights.

Finally, Octavia handed me some black, combat boots. I looked at them in disgust. "Are those my shoes?" I asked.

Octavia nodded bravely. "Just try them." I sighed, but put the boots on.

The first thing I noticed was that the room seemed brighter. Octavia gently turned me back to the mirror, and I gasped.

The dress, which I thought was just plain material, was glowing. I didn't know how, until I looked closer at it. Everywhere, there were little yellow lights embedded into the dress. They were so small that if you didn't look right at them, you didn't know they were there. The yellow was just what the colored lights needed. And you could still see the pink of the dress too. It was wonderful.

"It's wonderful," I said, forgetting that I was supposed to be mad at my clever stylist.

"I'm glad you like it," Octavia replied, blushing slightly.

Then, glancing quickly at the clock, she told me to go to the dining room; it was dinner time.

I hadn't noticed that much time had passed, until I realized my stomach was rumbling like a hovercraft. I dashed to the dining room, careful not to ruin my dress. Octavia follow.

-o-O-o-

The three of us, Beetee, Octavia and I, finished dinner with minor talk. After Octavia finish her last bite, though, Beetee began to really talk.

"Okay, Katrina. There are 13 chariots, 12 double ones and one single one. Commander Paylor told me she wanted you to be in the front; in the single chariot."

Beetee stopped, waiting for me to digest the information. I nodded, waiting for him to go on.

"Let's see..." Beetee trailed off, deep in thought. "Oh! Make sure you look as appealing as possible for sponsors. Wave, smile, blow kisses, whatever. Sponsors give money, money gives gifts, and gifts help you survive," Beetee said, nodding slightly; it seemed like he was remembering _his_ two games.

I coughed to bring him to the present, and he blinked.

"When do we go?" I asked. I was already ready for the chariot rides, of course.

Beetee looked up, then at the clock. "Now," he replied, and wheeled himself into elevator.

I carefully stepped in after him; Octavia followed.

-o-O-o-

I stepped out of the elevator. The scene was exactly as Beetee described it. After I waved back at Octavia, nodded at Beetee, I made my way to the front chariot. It was a pretty chariot; snow white horses, light gray chariot, with gemstones around the edge of the chariot and on the horses' reins.

I stepped in. Just then, I heard voices behind me. _Familiar_ voices. I turned.

There, standing behind me, were my two best friends ever: Sheeshey Garlenia and Uniqua Jade.

"Sheeshey? Uniqua?" I asked in amazement, gasping at them.

"Katrina?" They asked in unison. All three of us got out of our chariots, and hugged each other.

"Oh, Katrina! I just met Sheeshey when I came down here; both of us were down early. We hoped you wouldn't be here!" Uniqua exclaimed.

"I knew I was going in, with Grandpa and all, but this is worse than the actual Games!" I moaned.

"I know!" Both my friends exclaimed at once.

"Hey, did you know that instead of Districts, 'cause we don't have any, we're going to be... _known_ partly by our number on our hand," Sheeshey said.

"What numbers are you guys?" I asked, looking at them carefully.

"Twelve," Sheeshey said, sighing.

"Thirteen," I said, because I knew they would want to know.

"Fourteen." Uniqua.

We all stood there for a moment, before I exclaimed, "Our numbers are all next to each other!"

"Hey, they are!" Sheeshey said, grinning at me.

"We could visit each other!" Uniqua said, smiling.

"My floor, after these rides?" I asked them. They both nodded.

Suddenly, there was a voice telling us to get in the chariots; the first one - mine - would be leaving soon. I waved once at my friends, then climbed onto my ride. The doors opened slowly, and I looked up to the Capitol lights shining brightly, and tons of cheering fans.

**Yeah! Next chapter will be the rides. Oh, and if you have exactly no clue how to pronounce Katrina's friends' names, look below. Yeah!**

**Sheeshey Garlenia: She-shay Gar-len-e-ah**

**Uniqua Jade: You-knee-qua Jade**

**Just another warning: It might take a bit longer to write the chariot rides, but who knows? Maybe the Fates will be kind. **


	4. Chapter 4

**Ouch... I meant to post this much sooner, but I kinda forgot to, so here it is now. **

**Disclaimer: **

**Me: I don't own THG.**

**Suzanne: I do!**

**Me: Don't gloat, Collins.**

My horse started walking forward; I heard the other horses start too. I came out of the Training Center, out to the cheering fans... except there weren't any cheering fans. There were rebels on the bleachers, and they were screaming. But not the kind that we used to do... wait. This was confusing me: I just needed to attract sponsors. But it was like the rebels were screaming for blood... _our_ blood. That was _not_ good.

I pushed the thoughts out of my head, waving and smiling as I did so. I could hear the screams get louder as more and more tributes pulled out of the Training Center. My horses seemed to be well trained, because they pulled me exactly where I needed to go. I was pulled around a circle not unlike the City Circle from the Capitol. _Are we even _in _the Capitol?_ I wondered, looking around.

Soon, everyone was in the circle and had stopped going around. Katniss and Paylor stepped up to where Grandpa used to stand, and Paylor grabbed a microphone.

"Hello, hello. Welcome, everyone to the 76th Hunger Games - the first one for the _Capitol_ children!" Paylor said into the mic, using a mocking tone when she said _Capitol_. Everyone on the bleachers yelled and stomped their feet.

"And now, I give you the Girl on Fire, the Mockingjay, Katniss Everdeen!" Paylor said, and handed the mic to Katniss.

"Hello, hello," Katniss said, a smile on her face. She looked pained, and I let the thought please me for a second before continuing to listen to the _Mockingjay_.

"I thank you all for coming out tonight to see the tributes. And don't they look great? Personally, I think that this ought to be treated as a Quarter Quell; the arena is a horrible one!" The audience laughed, and I felt like raising my eyebrows. _So this was going to be like a Quarter Quell?_ Well, that was good, because Quarter Quells are fun; therefore this arena must be fun. **(Oh, Katrina. How clueless you are.) **

"Take a good look at them - maybe you want to sponsor some!" Katniss called, then handed the mic back to Paylor.

I zoned out for a bit, waiting for Paylor to finish her speech. Grandpa didn't take this long; it was much better - the Games seemed to come faster.

-o-O-o-

I felt my chariot move and I realized that Paylor must be done speaking. I pasted a smile onto my face, waved, and batted my eyes as we pulled into the Training Center. As soon as the chariots stopped and the voice said that we could get out, I jumped to the ground. I spun, just for effect, and dashed to Sheeshey and Uniqua's chariot. They jumped out too, and we hugged before going to find our mentors. "See you soon," I said, before we parted.

I quickly located Beetee and Octavia. I walked over to them, and they waved. "I'm inviting some friends over, okay?" I said, not really asking, just putting an asking tone in my voice.

"Sure, that's fine," Beetee replied, before asking, "Who are you inviting?"

"Sheeshey Garlenia and Uniqua Jade," I answered. Octavia nodded, then whispered something to Beetee. Beetee's eyes sparkled, and he told us he would be right back.

"He's inviting some friends too. Their tributes will stay with their stylists," Octavia explained, and I nodded, even though I had no clue what Octavia meant. Just then Sheeshey, Uniqua, Beetee, and several others appeared.

-o-O-o-

I was laying on the floor; my feet on my bed. Sheeshey was on my right; Uniqua on my left. I faintly heard Beetee's guests; about eight mentors. "Who are your mentors?" I asked my friends.

"Annie - Annie Odair," Sheeshey said, rolling her eyes. "She keeps going on about how if I have any friends, I need to try to keep them alive. I mean, I _know_ who to protect!" Sheeshey ranted. I grinned at her.

"And I presume those people are us?" I asked, mocking her.

"Why would you assume that?" Sheeshey asked.

"Gee, I don't know," Uniqua replied. Suddenly, I jerked my head up, a smile on my face.

"Who wants to spy on some mentors?" I asked, and my allies got grins on their faces.

"I'm in," they said together.

We snuck out of my room and crept down the hall. There, I recognized seven Victors and Gale.

Johanna Mason of Seven, Peeta Mellark, Gale Hawthorne, Katniss Everdeen, and Haymitch Abernathy of Twelve, Annie Odair of Four, Enobaria of Two, and Beetee were all there.

"Hey, there's my mentor, Gale!" Uniqua shout-whispered. It was quiet, but 16 eyes turned to us.

"What are you doing here?" Peeta asked in a measured voice, while Haymitch slapped a hand over Johanna's mouth.

"Just... getting something to eat," Sheeshey said. I nodded vigorously. Johanna rolled her eyes and shoved Haymitch's hand off her mouth.

As soon as Johanna opened her mouth, Annie stood, grabbed her hands, and walked her out. Katniss smiled sadly, rolling her eyes.

"Good job, Annie," Gale muttered. Everyone except us nodded with relief.

"Now..." Peeta turned to us. "What are you fine young ladies doing out here?" he asked.

Uniqua widened her eyes innocently and said, "We told you. We were getting something to eat."

Haymitch narrowed his eyes. "You can get things to eat from your room. Thought you'd know that, Katrina."

I did my best glare at him, and he laughed, along with Peeta, Enobaria, and Beetee. Katniss and Gale smiled slightly.

"That's the best you can do?" Enobaria asked, smirking.

"Yes," I said, flipping my curls.

Katniss whispered something into Peeta's ear. He rolled his eyes at her, but turned and whispered something to Beetee. Beetee rolled his eyes too.

"Sweetheart, we were nice enough to let you play with your friends. Would you like us to send them back and strap you to your bed while we talk?" Haymitch asked, and again the mentors stifled laughs.

"You can't do that!" I yelled at him, and he raised his eyebrows.

"And why not?" It's Gale this time; he lounged back on his chair, watching me like a hunter watches his prey.

"Because Grandpa will do terrible things to you," I replied and all the Victors stared at me, while Gale laughed. Down right _laughed_!

"Snow's dead," Katniss reminded me, and I thought I saw a glint in her eyes, like she was _glad_ Grandpa was dead. Then I realized that she probably was.

Just then, Johanna walked in to the room. She glanced at me, then walked out again. I felt a cold hand touch my arm, and I turned to see Annie Odair standing behind me.

She didn't say anything, but led me to my room and closed the door. I stared at the door until Sheeshey and Uniqua get thrown in as well.

"Well, that failed," I said, and Sheeshey rolled her eyes.

"Understatement," she muttered.

-o-O-o-

"Bye, Katrina!" Sheeshey called.

"See you at training!" Uniqua said.

I waved at them, then walked back to Beetee and Octavia.

"How did you like dinner?" Beetee asked. I smiled a fake smile.

"I loved it!" I said. I did, but I was kind of mad at Beetee right now.

"Go to sleep. You stayed up late tonight, and tomorrow you'll need your energy for training," Beetee said, and I nodded. Octavia grabbed my arm, and together we made our way down the hallway.

***pretends to slash a sword* Yah! Yah! **

**I have just finished a battle of tenses. Present tense kept attacking our past tense fortress! I had to start another fanfic to battle! **


	5. Chapter 5

**Disclaimer: I disclaim anything that is not mine. **

I woke up disoriented. Shaking myself, I rolled out of bed to see that someone had laid a pair of tight-fitting black jeans and a loose red shirt with subtle ruffles near the neckline on the floor. A pair of black combat boots was next to the outfit.

I scowled at the outfit. I mean, there was like, _no_ style! Then I remembered that, as I was falling asleep, Octavia had told me that she would put my training outfit in my room for me. I sighed, changed, and then walked to the diner.

When I got there, I found that Octavia and Beetee were already up. I smiled at them, then sat down in a chair.

My companions sat down as well, and the food appeared.

-o-O-o-

When we were done, Octavia told me she would walk me down to the Training Room. I nodded in agreement.

We stepped into the elevator, and were down to the basement in seconds. As I stepped out, two people jumped out and hugged me.

"Sheeshey! Uniqua!" I yelped.

"Yeeeess?" they both asked, dragging out the word.

I groaned; smiling at them.

Someone pinned the number 13 on my back, and I went over to join the crowd. We all huddled around a girl.

"Hello!" she said brightly. "My name is Delly. Before we do training, I would like you to line up in number order and say your names, so that you all know each other."

I glanced at Sheehsey and Uniqua. This didn't seem very fun.

"Okay everyone, line up!" Delly said, smiling at all of us. We all shuffled, looking at each other's backs to help us.

Finally, we were in line. Delly called, "Number one, start!"

Number one started. "Johnny Pepeni."

Number two went. "Liscren Simmsion."

Number three. "David Lezcart."

Number four. "Ellie Garcia."

Number five. "Seemoi Henishin."

Number Six. "Jamison O'ticana"

Seven. "Ictiarcarcus "Ithy" Frein"

Eight. "Hershen Grellion."

Nine. "Timothy Yackimotus."

Ten. "Fenton Lincompop."

Eleven. "Kenith Karthien."

It was Sheeshey's turn. "Sheeshey Garlenia."

It was my turn! "Katrina Snow."

Everyone stopped to stare at me. "The President's granddaughter?" someone asked.

Finally, Uniqua said, "Uniqua Jade."

Fourteen goes. "Lilian Yhana."

Fifteen. "Denivon Jeliesion."

Sixteen. "Annie Jenson."

Seventeen. "Ashley Ellis."

Eighteen. "Garathan Katomola."

Nineteen. "Jillian Illiarnia."

Twenty. "Ulicamata Tanverien."

Twenty-one. "Laquincy Fluttadoian."

Twenty-two. "Ranshid Wencomskey."

Twenty-three. "Kara Jorganstien."

Twenty-four. "Rachel Otter."

Twenty-five. "Vivian Powdonceon."

-o-O-o-

I sighed in relief when Delly told us we could start training - she had told us the stations, and then went on about a million other things! I hope I'm not like her when I'm her age.

"Where do you want to go first?" Sheeshey asked. It was our unspoken agreement to be allies.

"We could split up and cover more stations, meet at lunch, then do it again in the afternoon," I suggested. My friends nodded.

"I'll go to weapons; I studied with Grandpa," I said.

"I'll go to agility." Sheeshey said. We nodded, she was the fastest of all of us.

"I guess I'll go to survival stations," Uniqua said. We all nodded, then split up.

-o-O-o-

"Hey," I said to a girl who was at the throwing knives. She had shoulder length blonde hair, but the bottoms were red. Her eyes were blue, and she talked with a District One accent.

"What do you want?" she asked, quite rudely. She whipped a knife at the dummy, and it hit the inner ring. A kill shot.

"Well, there's a _reason_ I'm here," I said. "I'm going in the games too, you know."

Just then, a girl who looked almost exactly like the girl I was talking to walked up. "Hey, Ashley," she said.

The girl, who I assumed was Ashley, flipped her hair, turned, and said, "Sorry, I don't hang out with cowards. ome on, Annie."

-o-O-o-

I whipped another knife at the dummy. "That's 'Ashley'," I said. I threw another. "Katniss."

I threw one more. "The games," I muttered, then walked off to practice another weapon.

In a daze, I walked to the sword-fighting station. When I looked up, I saw the girls I saw earlier.

Ashley was sword fighting with a beginner sword fighter - I could tell because he had a purple arm band. Annie, on the other hand, was fighting the best there was - she had a yellow arm band.

Without a word, I got a sword, trying it out. I shook my head almost immediately. It wasn't pretty enough. I grabbed a better one, and I smiled as I called out a medium trainer.

-o-O-o-

I had beaten the trainer in ten minutes.

"I can do better than _that_." I turned and saw Annie leaning on the wall.

"Care to spar?" she asked with a smirk on her face.

"Is it allowed?" I asked, looking at the trainer. He nodded. I grinned and held my sword out, in a defensive position.

Annie grinned as well, keeping her sword loose at her side. I raised my eyebrows at her; she was leaving herself undefended. I lunged, and Annie's sword came up faster than I could put on mascara. She caught my hilt with her own, twisting the sword out of my grip.

I hung on, and backed up. I examined her, then charged again. This time, though, I dived for her legs. She yelped, jumping back in surprise. I continued to press her. She smirked. "So you think you can win?" she asked. I nodded silently, and reached to my side; there was a rack of swords I had picked out while I was backing up. Annie smiled as I grabbed another sword.

I used my two swords to grab Annie's sword, around the hilt. It clattered to the floor. I smirked at her, and she smirked back, pulling out two swords from her back. She caught both my swords on the inside; she twisted them, making the swords clatter to the ground. I reached for the rack, but Annie gently touch the flat of her blade to my hand, making my hand drop.

She smiled, glancing back to Ashley. She was clapping. "The coward always loses," she whispered, before walking away with her friend. I scowled at them as the bell rang for lunch.

**Ohhhhh... looks like Katrina has some new enemies! Ha. Ha. Ha. Ha.**

**Next chapter might be longer; I'll try to start covering training days in single chapters. **

**May the odds be ****_ever_**** in your favor!**


	6. Chapter 6

**Training, training, training. Oh, boy. Training. I feel as if I gave too much attention to Ashley and Annie, so they'll just be in the background today. Or, at least I'll try. They might have other plans. *sigh* Characters. You never know with them.**

**Disclaimer: Last I checked, my name was not Suzanne Collins, but maybe it's changed...**

I sat down with Sheeshey and Uniqua, waiting for them to speak. "So, what did you do, Katrina?" Sheeshey asked.

I grinned half-heartedly. "I made two new enemies," I said. Both of my friends raised their eyebrows at me. "It's true!" I protested.

"What else did you do?" Sheeshey asked.

"I got pretty good at throwing knives, and I'm okay at sword fighting," I replied. "What about you?"

"You remember Rue?" Sheehshey asked. We nodded.

"On the ropes course, I almost beat her record!" Sheeshey said excitedly. Uniqua widened her eyes. I felt my mouth fall open.

"What did you do, Uniqua?" I asked, finally.

"Well, I can make a decent fire, recognize edible plants, and... yeah." Uniqua said, blushing.

I took a bite of the marvelous food. "Well, how about after lunch, one of you goes to agility, I'll go to survival stations - not hitting the ones that Uniqua did - and the other goes to weapons?" I asked, taking another bite.

"I'll go to weapons," Sheeshey said, nodding at my suggestion.

"Guess I'm going to agility," said Uniqua. We all nodded at each other just as the bell rang.

-o-O-o-

I frowned at my lean-to, hands on my hips. I had made a medium - level structure. It would house all my allies and me, had three walls and a roof, and would survive minor rain and wind. I decided it was good enough after a few minutes. I waved at the trainer as I headed over to snares.

I greeted the trainer, and sat down. "Could you teach me?" I asked. He nodded, grabbed a length of rope, and sat down as well.

After he'd told me how to make a basic snare, I tried myself. I ended up with a small snare; it would catch small- to medium size animals, but not any tributes. I sighed, but the trainer told me it was a good one. I smiled at him.

I grabbed another length of rope, and tried again. I was rewarded with a larger snare, and the trainer patted my back. "That's as good as you're going to get," he said, and walked away, to another tribute.

I got up too, and walked to camouflage. I didn't know exactly how it would help me, but I went there anyway. Until I learned that you had to _paint on yourself_.

-o-O-o-

The bell rang for the end of the day, and I caught up with Sheeshey and Uniqua.

"What did you do?" Sheeshey asked us.

"I learned how to make a decent snare and lean-to, and I can now weave hammocks," I said proudly.

Uniqua said, "I learned how to climb a tree really fast, and I can jump really high, too."

"What about you, Sheeshey?" I asked.

"Well, I tried out the scythe and the spear, but I think I'm better at the spear. I'm gonna go with that; it's my weapon of choice." Sheeshey said. "By the way, when you did weapons, what was your weapon of choice?"

"Throwing knives," I said. "I'm pretty accurate with them." Both my friends nodded.

"So, for tomorrow, for the first half of the day, we should each do the group we didn't do yet; I'll go to weapons, Sheeshey will go to survival, and Katrina will go to agility." Uniqua said, her voice half asking, half stating. I nodded, along with Sheeshey.

"See you tomorrow!" I called as we got to Sheeshey's level. (We had taken the stairs.)

"Bye!" Sheeshey said as the door closed. Soon we were at my level. I waved at Uniqua, and went into my living quarters.

-o-O-o-

"How was training?" Octavia asked as we sat down to dinner.

"It was good," I responded half-heartedly.

"So, what did you learn? Are you in any alliances? Have any enemies? Strengths? Weaknesses?" Beetee asked, leaning forward.

"Well, I am in an alliance with Sheeshey and Uniqua." I started.

Beetee nodded, gesturing for me to go on.

"I kinda... IkindamadeenemieswithAshleyandAnnie," I said really quickly.

"I didn't catch that," Beetee informed me. I sighed.

"I made two enemies - Ashley and Annie." I said. Beetee nodded.

"Go on," he said.

"My weapon of choice is throwing knives, I'm okay with swords, and Sheeshey's weapon of choice is spears. Uniqua can recognize edible plants, start decent fires, jump really high and climb up trees and such really fast. Sheeshey can also climb really well and move really fast, and I can also make snares and a decent lean-to, and weave hammocks." I finally took a breath, and both Beetee and Octavia nodded appreciatively.

"Good. And I'm betting you've made a plan for tomorrow?" Beetee asked. I nodded again.

Beetee looked at the clock. "Okay, that's all," he said, and I got up. Since it was only 6:30, I walked to the living room, to watch some TV.

-o-O-o-

I yawned, and looked at the clock. I was surprised to see that it was already 9:00. I stretched, and walked to my room. I changed into my PJ's, and curled into my bed. I slipped immediately into a dream.

A dream that I wished were real.

**Okay, so I feel this is really short, for some reason, while my word count says I have 1,018 words. Umm... I have a couple questions for y'all - I might keep doing this, we'll see.**

**1) What do you think the arena is going to be like?**

**2) How do like Katrina, Sheeshey and Uniqua's skills?**

**3) Out of the three mentioned above, who is your favorite?**

**4) Should I keep doing these questions?**

**Oh, and I ****_love_**** reviews - they actually make me update faster (usually) and they make me feel good. :) **

**Bye!**


	7. Chapter 7

**Hi! Lalala... I was writing some of this in writing class - I finished my argumentative essay, so my teacher said I could free write! Yay! Free writing = more chapters! *grins like a madwoman* Enjoy! **

**Disclaimer: Like Suzanne Collins would ****_ever_**** write this! **

I spooned another spoonful of soup into my mouth.

"You ready for Training?" Beetee asked, and I nodded.

I looked at the clock, and got up. "See you," I called over my shoulder as I walked to the elevator.

I jabbed the button, and it arrived in seconds. I got in, and jabbed the TF button.

-o-O-o-

I stepped out, and walked to the huddle of tributes. I stood next to Sheeshey and Uniqua as Delly repeated the stations and rules. When she was done, I walked to agility, Sheeshey walked to survival, and Uniqua to weapons.

Frowning, I decided to do the rock wall first. It would be useful, in case I had to climb something.

Walking over, I noticed that numbers 23, 24, and 25 were there as well. After observing them for a couple minutes, I decided they were in an alliance.

-o-O-o-

"May I join you?" I asked as I stood next to number 23.

"Sure, I don't care," she responded, talking _really_ fast. "My name's Kara," she added. I nodded, but didn't tell her mine.

After number 25 jumped down to the net, I went up to start.

There were four walls - a door was in one of them. The one I was facing was the third most difficult - on my right was the hardest, on my left, the second easiest, and behind me, the easiest. I grabbed the first stone I could find, and hauled myself up. I placed my foot on another stepping stone, and I continued on my way.

-o-O-o-

I was breathing heavily, but I smiled. _I made it! _I looked at my time, disappointed that it had taken me six minutes and forty-two seconds. I looked around, and decided to take the short way down - I jumped down to the net, landing sort-of gracefully. I got onto the floor, and saw Kara climbing the hardest, number 23 climbing the easiest, and number 25 - whom I remembered Kara calling Vivian - climbing the second easiest. I sighed, then turned and bumped into Sheeshey.

"Hi, Sheeshey," I said.

"We need a healer, right?" she asked, grinning.

"It would be nice," I admitted. "But don't spend your time on medical stations if you don't want to."

"Too late!" she replied, grinning again.

I grinned back at her. "That's great! Now I feel guilty that I didn't hit those stations." I lightly punched her arm.

"Don't worry. Is it okay that I hit some of your stations, in case the person who can do it gets, say injured?" she asked me. I had, somehow, become the leader in the group.

"Yeah, sure. Could you tell Uniqua she can hit whatever stations she wants? I'm might have to hit some of yours," I said, waving as I went to the obstacle course.

"Will do!" Sheeshey called back, and I headed to the tree climbing station.

-o-O-o-

I climbed five different kinds of tree before the lunch bell rang, and I dropped out of the elm tree I had begun to climb. I dashed over to the lunch room.

-o-O-o-

I slumped down on the chair, and Uniqua immediately started talking. "My weapon of choice is the blowgun, but I can also use the slingshot," she said. We nodded.

"Hey, I can use the blowgun too! I forgot to mention that, sorry," said Sheeshey. I shrugged, and leaned close to them.

"Grandpa taught me to use the ax. But _shhhh_. Grandpa told me to use it as my surprise weapon; no one but you guys know about it." I murmured, voice as quiet as a voice in a movie theater.

Both my friends looked at me excitedly. "But remember, tell no one!" I reminded them, and we pulled out of our huddle.

"I'm pretty good at medical plants, I can recognize edible and inedible plants, I can start a fire, and I took a little survival skills test; I got an 88%." Sheeshey informed us. Uniqua and I both nodded.

"I know I saw you earlier, but what did you do, Katrina?" Sheeshey asked.

I felt guilt flow through me. "I just did the rock wall and some tree-climbing. I learned how to climb reasonably fast; I _can_ climb, and I learned something about an alliance - with 23, 24, and 25."

"So, how many alliances do we know of?" Uniqua asked, raising her eyebrows, which happened to be bright green.

"Well, those two girls I ran into yesterday, Ashley and Annie, are in an alliance. And number 23, 24, and 25 are too," I said.

"Number 1 and 2 are in an alliance, I think. I ran into them together yesterday as well. I think they might even be boyfriend and girlfriend; I saw them _kissing_." Sheeshey said, smirking.

"Wait a sec... do any of you remember their names? One and two? I remember hearing Octavia saying it would be a nice twist to have a daughter of a guard and her boyfriend in the arena..." I trailed off, pursing my lips.

"Wasn't number two's last name Simmsion?" Uniqua asked. My eyes widened.

"That's it! Number 2's related to First Guard Simmsion!" I nearly shouted.

Sheeshey's eyes widened - she lived very close to me; her dad was a guard. Uniqua used to live in the Districts - District Two - but she moved here with her family. She probably hadn't heard of the First Guard.

"He's the boss of all the guards," Sheeshey explained, and I nodded. Then, Uniqua's eyes widened.

"Well, we're in an alliance, so that leaves..." Uniqua trailed off; she'd never been good at math.

"Let's see... everyone but numbers 1, 2, us, 16, 17, 23, 24, and 25," Sheeshey replied, scrunching up her almost non-existent eyebrows.

"Yup," I confirmed. "Should we stick together for this half?"

My allies nodded, just as the bell rang again, and everyone rose. **(I feel as through this would be a proper place to say this: Dun, dun, duuuuun! Even through nothing bad's happening... probably...)**

-o-O-o-

"Should we go to some weapons first?" I asked.

Sheeshey nodded. "We should all go to all our weapons of choice."

"Blowgun first?" I asked; both Sheeshey and Uniqua could do something there.

"Sure." And we headed over.

-o-O-o-

When we got there, we saw that numbers 4 and 5 were there as well.

"Alliance?" Uniqua asked quietly. The girls spun around; Uniqua had whispered, but apparently they'd heard.

"What makes you think that?" Number 4 glared at us.

"Ellie! Calm!" Number five shrugged apologetically. "Sorry. My cousin's kinda angry." She sighed.

"I'm Seemoi. This is my cousin, Ellie." Number five - Seemoi - said. We waved.

"How old are you guys? I'm 10, and Seesee here is 19," Ellie told us.

"Thirteen," all three of us said at once.

Seemoi nodded. "Sorry, but I don't really see an alliance here, so we're going to go."

"'Kay, bye!" Sheeshey called, as they headed to fire making.

-o-O-o-

I sat down; I had tried the blowgun, but it just wasn't for me. I watched as Sheeshey and Uniqua hit the outer ring, and then missed, middle ring, eye, bullseye, wall ten feet away... _Uniqua is better at this than Sheeshey,_ I thought to myself. Finally, they turned, and Uniqua suggested we go to swords.

-o-O-o-

I picked out a sword, and so did Sheeshey and Uniqua - they wanted to at least try this. I called out a trainer slightly more advanced than the one than I practiced with before.

Slash, stab, parry, block, roll, OUCH, duck, feint, stab, YES, disarm, back up. Try again, BOOM, pin, done.

I looked up, and saw that Sheeshey and Uniqua were both waiting for me. I grinned, and looked at the clock. We only had about half an hour left, so I walked over. "What next?" I asked.

"Well, you had fun at swords," Sheeshey said. "And Uniqua and I had fun with the blowgun. How about we go to spears, then swing over to throwing knives? Tomorrow we can do half the time at survival, plan for a bit, and do agility with the remaining time."

"Well, we'll be all tired from agility, and might not perform our best. How about we switch survival and agility?" Uniqua suggested. I nodded, looking at the clock. I waved them over, and we all walked to spears.

-o-O-o-

I was okay at spears, but they were just... so _heavy_! Sheeshey was the only one in the group that could lift them - even Uniqua was struggling. Finally, I sat down; Uniqua next to me. We watched Sheeshey hitting target after target, missing every, say, one out of seven.

_Thwak! Thwak! Thwak! _

I glanced over to see who else was at the station, and saw the two we saw before - Seemoi and Ellie. Ellie was using the spears, and she was really good. We would have to watch out for her. I didn't know what Seemoi could do, but she was nineteen, probably older than all of us. I sighed, and looked back to Sheeshey.

-o-O-o-

"Nice one!" I heard Sheeshey call as I hit a bullseye. We were doing throwing knives, and I was the only one doing it.

"Thanks!" I called, then grabbed another knife. That one hit the middle ring, and I smiled.

I threw more and more, because this was the last station we were going to do today.

-o-O-o-

I heard snickering; I had just hit the shoulder. I turned and saw Ashley and Annie.

"Is there a problem?" I asked, hands on my hips. I glared at them, and they glared back.

"Yes. The problem is that you are really, _really_ bad at throwing knives. Remind me _how_ you expect to live?" Ashley asked, her voice dripping in venom. Annie snickered, and I groaned.

"It was just a bad shot. I can do better. Besides, it would wound someone!" I all but yelled.

Ashley smirked. "Show me. Then I'll show you how a good knife thrower throws."

I grabbed a knife and whipped it at the dummy. I felt the eyes of Ashley and Annie boar into me, and I shivered inwardly.

When I saw where I had hit, I felt like melting to the ground. I had hit the elbow. I heard snickering, and again I turned.

"_Honestly_! A two year old could do better than that!" Ashley said. Annie snickered again.

"If it were swords, I could totally beat you. But instead, I get to watch Ashley own you in throwing knives," Annie told me, and Ashley smiled a fake-sweet smile.

I stepped from the platform, and Ashley stepped on. She grabbed a knife, and threw it at the dummy I was aiming at. And she hit the wall three feet from the dummy.

I laughed. And laughed. And laughed. Ashley blushed furiously, and grabbed another. This time, Annie walked away; I didn't know why. However, I saw her approach swords.

When I looked back at Ashley, I found her glaring at me. "Ready?" she asked, and I nodded, waiting for her to screw up. She didn't.

-o-O-o-

I sighed. _Wasn't one knife enough? _I had spent the last ten minutes - of today, and of training - watching Ashley make bullseye after bullseye. Now, I was watching Sheeshey and Uniqua each throw one knife - I already threw mine.

-o-O-o-

"Well, that was interesting," Uniqua said as we walked up the stairs to our floors.

"No kidding. Told you she hates me," I replied, shrugging my pink hair back as I watched them.

"So, a review." Sheeshey was all business. "Tomorrow we will do a bit of time at agility - maybe just one round at the obstacle course - plan for a bit, and then do survival until they start calling names."

"Thanks for the plan, Seashell." I heard a voice and turned; I saw Sheeshey and Uniqua turn as well.

"Her name's _Sheeshey_, Ellis," Uniqua growled. I was pretty sure that Ellis was Ashley's last name; I hadn't bothered to learn it. However, Uniqua has always had a good memory.

"You know, you talk pretty loud. Anyone could hear you and learn your strategy. Try toning it down a bit," Annie informed us. I sighed, hiding my burning rage.

"You're digging your own grave, Ellis. You too, Jenson." Uniqua growled. Again, I had no idea where she had learned their last names.

"Well, just be sure to tone it down a notch in the arena. You might get killed," Ashley said, smirking.

"Actually, keep that volume," Annie contradicted. **(Wow, never knew a Snow could use big words!) **

"Why?" I asked. They had just told us to keep it down a notch, and now Annie was saying this!

"It'll get you caught," Annie told us, before dashing on ahead with Ashley.

**I'm sorry. I really am. It's been nagging me - ****_you should update!_**** \- but I was sick, and I had some major writers block. **

**Also, this is the longest chapter I've written for HG. So... I hope you liked it. Questions!**

**1) Did you like the added amount of interest for their fellow tributes that the trio is displaying? Or should I cut it back?**

**2) Do you think that Snow would train Katrina in a weapon?**

**3) Who's your favorite tribute so far?**


	8. Chapter 8

**I started writing this as soon as I finished Chapter 7, and... well, I don't think anyone's reading this, so I'll tell you after you read this chapter. **

**Disclaimer: Guess what? I'm Suzanne Collins. Instead of writing another HG story, I spend my time on Fanfiction. Yeah right.**

"Do you have a plan for tomorrow? Trust me when I say that the personal sessions are quite stressful." Beetee's eyes filled with memories.

"Yeah. Well, I think," I replied, shifting. Sheeshey, Uniqua, and I really just talked about before sessions.

"Well?" Beetee looked at me expectantly. "What are you planning to do? Are you aiming for a high score?"

"Of course! Who wouldn't want a high score?" I questioned. _Did Beetee know_ nothing_?_

"Well... oh, forget it! What are you going to do?" Beetee looked like he wanted to yell.

"Well, I'm gonna throw some knives, make some snares, and then if I have time I'll climb the rock wall," I said, laying out my plan.

"What score are you hoping for?" Beetee asked. "The higher scorers tend to go down first, but they get more sponsors."

"I think I'll get, maybe, a seven or eight," I replied, hoping secretly I'd get a 10 or something.

"I hope you do well! Remember, the Gamemakers will love you!" Octavia squealed, and I smiled.

Then, I stood and made my way to my room, having finished eating.

-o-O-o-

"Five more minutes," I moaned into my pillow; someone had just roughly jerked my arm.

"No! You need to get dressed and eat! It's 9:30, and training starts at 10:00!" Beetee growled, jerking me again.

"Okay! Okay! I'm up! Get outta my room," I moaned again, and tumbled out of bed. Then, I jumped up; I didn't want to ruin my hair. Beetee was gone, and an outfit was on the floor for me.

Some black denim pants, a purple head band, and a t-shirt of the same color. I slipped into the clothes, as well as the black combat boots that were next to the outfit.

"I'm here!" I called as I stepped into the diner.

"Try to eat up; these are the last times you'll have food easily," Beetee advised. I nodded, and grabbed my normal meal, _knowing_ that I'd get some food in the arena.

-o-O-o-

"Good luck! Be sure to plan with your allies!" Beetee and Octavia called together.

I jabbed the elevator button, and I was in the Training Room before I could say, "Blue elephants."

-o-O-o-

"Okay, you're having a half-day today, because there will be private sessions after lunch. You will be called in number order. I think you know the stations by now, so off you go!" Delly said, bouncing off; I turned to Sheeshey and Uniqua.

"Ugg, she's so annoying!" I exclaimed, and they nodded. Sheeshey, being Sheeshey, got right down to business.

"Agility, here we come!" Sheeshey called out quietly, and we headed to the rock wall.

"I'm going for the hardest," Sheeshey informed us when we got there. Uniqua and I nodded, and I declared I would do the third hardest.

"I'll do second easiest," Uniqua said, and we walked in.

-o-O-o-

It turned out that Ashley and Annie had the same plan as us, because they were there when we walked in. Or maybe it was because they heard our plan. _Never_ _thought of that_ _before_, I thought as I made my way to my claimed wall.

Ashley was on Uniqua's wall, and Annie on mine. "Hey! I was going to climb that!" I exclaimed.

"Well, now you aren't!" Annie called down, just as I noticed the sign.

**_Two people allowed on each wall._**

_Yes!_ I thought, and hopped onto the wall. I worked my way up; finding that Annie was waiting for me.

"Hey, coward," she whispered. I rolled my eyes, and kept climbing. "Wondering why we're here?" she asked. I didn't respond, and soon I was higher than her.

-o-O-o-

I dropped down onto the net, and saw Sheeshey standing by the door. "Slowpoke!" she teased. I grinned.

"Not as slow as Uniqua!" I said back, and Sheeshey shrugged, indicating that I was right.

Just then, Uniqua dropped down. We waved her over, then left the compound, heading to a bench to plan some.

-o-O-o-

"So, should we all run up to the Cornucopia?" I asked.

"Yeah. Each of us should grab a backpack if they have them, our weapons of choice, and anything else that might be useful. Then, we should all run to... someplace," Uniqua said, thinking out loud.

"How about we choose someone to pick a way?" I suggested.

"I think we should follow Sheeshey," Uniqua proclaimed. I nodded. Sheeshey blushed, but she agreed.

"Then, after we're safe, we plan from there," Sheeshey said, and we got up, heading for the survival stations.

-o-O-o-

"Let's go to the test-thingy first," Sheeshey suggested, and Uniqua and I nodded. We walked to the station, and found three people already at it. Looking at their backs, I saw they were numbers 3, 7, and 15. As soon as we stepped up, they scattered to another survival station.

"They're not fighters," I muttered to Sheeshey and Uniqua.

"Pretty sure they're in an alliance, though," Sheeshey muttered back. I stepped up to the test- thingy and pressed _go_.

_Which of these plants_ _are_ _edible?_

There were three choices - nightlock, katniss, and foxgrove.

I frowned. Nightlock, of course, was poisonous. I was pretty sure katniss was edible, so I pressed that.

_What_ _kind_ _of_ _knot_ _is_ _this?_

There was a picture of a knot - I didn't know what kind. There were also three choices, so I randomly picked one.

After about fifteen minutes, I got my score - a 79%. I groaned. "It's not a bad score," Sheeshey comforted me. Then, she took my place and did the test.

-o-O-o-

"What are you planning on doing for the sessions? Or is it a secret?" I asked Sheesheey; Uniqua was up at the test.

Sheeshey looked around, then leaned in - she probably didn't want a repeat of the Seashell incident. "Spears, and some agility. You?"

I turned and whispered into _her_ ear, "Throwing knives, and then some snares."

Sheeshey nodded, and turned as Uniqua came back to us. "What did you get?" she asked.

"89%," Uniqua responded.

I nodded. "Nice," I said, and pondered for a bit - Uniqua had gotten the highest score, so I'd say she was the best at survival. And I was pretty good at multiple weapons, while Sheeshey and Uniqua could only use one or two, so I was probably the weapon person. Sheeshey, obviously, rocked at agility. _Good_, _we're_ _all_ _good_ _at_ _different_ _things,_ I thought, and snapped back to what Sheeshey was saying.

"...do some snares - there is a good chance at least part of the arena will be woods/forest. If that is true, snares would be one of our main food sources." She said, and I nodded, along with Uniqua.

"I can show you the snares I learned," I offered. Sheeshey grinned.

"Awesome! Let's go!" Uniqua said, and we headed over.

-o-O-o-

"And then you tuck this here," the trainer explained, finishing the lecture. Sheeshey, Uniqua, and I were at the station with the ones we saw earlier - 3, 7, and 15. 15 groaned; she had failed the knot. She looked about as old as Ellie - I _almost_ felt bad for her.

"It's okay, Lily. We've got the snares," Seven said, and 'Lily' sniffed.

"Yeah, you're the best runner we've got!" Three exclaimed.

"David! There are other people here!" Seven scolded, looking over at us. I rolled my eyes and picked another knot to try.

-o-O-o-

When we finally got up, my fingers were sore. By the way Sheeshey and Uniqua were rubbing them, they had sore fingers as well.

"Where to next?" I asked, looking at the clock.

"What about edible, inedible, and medicinal plants?" Uniqua asked. We nodded, and once again wandered there, looking at other people.

The plant station was almost all the way across the room; we passed a lot of people, and learned a bit about alliances. My eyes wandered around for Ashley and Annie. They found them at the wrestling station, and I gulped. They were _good_. I would have some dangerous enemies.

"Katrina?" Sheeshey prodded me in the side. "We're here."

I looked around, and saw that we were finally at the plants station. "Medicinal or edible/inedible first?" Unqiua asked in a whisper.

"Edible," Sheeshey and I said together. We sat down, and the trainer started explaining.

-o-O-o-

After the trainer finished explaining, we each got a pile of twenty plants and were told to sort the into two piles: edible and inedible. I studied each plant hard before putting it in a pile - I wasn't going to die by eating a poisonous berry or something.

-o-O-o-

I stared at one berry for quite some time - it looked exactly like a blueberry, and I almost put it in the edible pile. But something was nagging at me, something the trainer had said.

_The_ _trainer_ _held_ up a berry I thought was a blueberry. "Who knows what this is?" he asked. I raised my hand, and the trainer called on me.

_"A blueberry," I said. "It's edible." Another girl - number 21 - watched me with careful eyes while a boy - 22 - laughed. _

_"What?!" I asked, outraged. _

_"It's... it's not a blueberry," 21 choked out, laughing. I glared. _

_"Well, if it's not a blueberry, then what is it?" I asked, because clearly, it was a blueberry._

_The trainer grinned as if our quarrel amused him. "It is a Menispermum canadense, also known as moonseed," he stated, and the girl laughed. _

_"I must get it from my father," 21 explained. "He was President Snow's logician, so I must get my logic from him." I rolled my eyes at Sheeshey and Uniqua, and they nodded._

I shook myself from the memory, and put the berry in the inedible pile.

-o-O-o-

After we did medicinal plants - which Sheeshey _rocked_ at, we went to the lunch room, because it was lunch time.

I sat with Sheeshey and Uniqua, picking at my food.

"What are you guys planning on doing?" Uniqua asked, munching on some bread.

"Spears, agility. You?" Sheeshey replied, taking a sip of soda from a glass.

"Throwing knives, snares. If time, I'll do the rock wall," I said. I had told Sheeshey, so I was saying this for Uniqua.

"I'm gonna do the blowgun, then start a fire, put it out, then if I have time, I'll do some edible plants." Uniqua said, answering both her own question and our unasked one.

"Coolio. Is it wrong to be nervous?" Sheeshey had finished her drink, and was playing with her soup spoon.

"I hope not!" I exclaimed, before adding, "When are they calling us?" I set down my spoon, having finished my soup.

"Now," a new voice said, just as a speaker crackled on.

**Hi. Sowwy. I hope you liked this chapter, because I love cliffhangers. (While I'm writing them!) Oh, and nightlock is actually based on nightshade, and foxgrove on foxglove. **

**I don't think you want to hear reasons why I'm late, so I won't say. However, I do have some questions. And a question before the question. So, I was thinking to try weekly updates. The chapters might be a slight bit shorter, but I'd try to update every Sunday. Or, I could keep doing what I'm doing, with these staggered updates and slightly longer chapter. What do you think? I'd love to get your feedback! **

**Okay, questions.**

**1) Who do you think the new voice belonged to?**

**2) Thoughts on Sheeshey, Uniqua, and Katrina's friendship/alliance?**

**3) How am I doing with Katrina's personality? I don't write Capitolites very well; any tips?**

**May the odds be** **_ever_**** in your favor!**


	9. Chapter 9

**Hi again! I started writing this after I finished writing chapter 8. I know this is a tiny bit late, but I had to get it proof-read. **

**Disclaimer: My mom's gonna make waffles this morning!**

I spun. "Katniss," I muttered.

"One and only," she whipped back.

"So they're calling the scores now?" Uniqua asked, glaring with resentment that only Uniqua could have for Katniss. Her cousin Clove was in Katniss's games, along with Clove's boyfriend, Cato. **(Yeah, I ship Clato. Admit it, it's cute.) **

"No, I just said now to rile you up. And the speaker that's crackling is totally _not_ going to call names," Katniss replied.

"That's sarcasm," a man's voice said. Peeta stepped up to Katniss, with Gale.

"Not that you'd ever figure that out," Gale added.

"I knew that was sarcasm!" I protested.

_"Johnny Pepeni."_ The speaker said, and number 1 stood, after kissing his girlfriend. He walked to the doors to the training room, and pushed them open. Giving his girlfriend a smile, he disappeared. For a second, no one talked.

"Good luck," Peeta said, while Katniss and Gale turned up their noses and walked out like they owned that place.** (Katniss is still dating Peeta, but she and Gale are still friends, for the sake of this story.)**

"Hate her," Uniqua muttered, as number 2 was called. I nodded in understanding, then turned to Sheeshey. She was being unnaturally quiet.

"You okay?" I asked. Uniqua, having noticed Sheeshey's quietness as well, turned.

"Wha? Oh, oh yeah. I was just imaging Katniss dying," Sheeshey replied, grinning. We smiled too.

"Even though Gale's my mentor, I really hate him, as well." Uniqua played with her glittery hair, which at the moment was a bright gold.

"Agreed," I stated, my gray eyes shining.

"Random question, but how much do you pay for implanting gems?" Sheeshey asked. "I was thinking about getting opals, to match my eyebrows, eyes and my hair." Sheeshey's eyes and hair were an ice blue, and her eyebrows were practically non-existent.

"Well, for eyes it depends on how many. I usually get 10 in each," I said, showing them my eyes. Sheeshey nodded.

"So that costs about $5,000. But if you want them in your skin, then that's usually $8,000," I explained. Sheeshey stroked her chin.

"I think I might like that. I have enough money," Sheeshey decided. Uniqua nodded.

"That would look good on you," she said.

Just then, the speaker said, _"Sheeshey Garlenia."_ Sheeshey blinked, but didn't show her shock like Uniqua and I. She walked to the doors, and disappeared. I exchanged a look with Uniqua, and noticed that the room was nearly half empty.

"Good luck," Uniqua whispered. I nodded back at her.

"Good luck, Sheeshey," I muttered, and we shared a smile, just as I was called in.

I stood and walked to the doors like the ones before me. I pushed them open, then slipped in.

-o-O-o-

I took a moment to look around, then to look at the Gamemakers. I saw a whole crew, which surprised me. Looking closer, I realized that most of them were from the original crew. Plutarch was still Head.

I took a deep breath, and headed to the throwing knives as Plutarch said, "Katrina Snow. You have 15 minutes to show us your skills. You may start." I nodded, and continued my walk to the throwing knives. I grabbed some that were the right weight for me, and stepped back until I was as far as I could go. I wound up, and threw the knife. Middle ring of the bullseye. I looked at the Gamemakers. I couldn't tell if they were happy, so I continued to throw. Inner ring, outer ring, rib cage, bullseye. I grinned up at the Gamemakers, then moved to snares. I looked through the book until I found my favorite - the one that left the opponent dangling from their feet. My fingers twisted, knotted, and pulled the rope until I was left with the snare. I dragged a dummy over and pushed him onto the trap. It sprang, and the dummy was suddenly dangling from mid-air.

Having a sudden idea, I went to axes. I can't believe I didn't think of this before!

I grabbed an ax, lifted it over my head, and threw it at the dummy. Dead bullseye. I moved to the next dummy. Inner ring. Middle ring. Outer ring. Ribs. Dead bullseye. I nodded, and looked at the Gamemakers, hoping they looked pleased. I thought they did.

I walked to the rock wall, but my bell rang before I could do anything.

"Thank you. Your score, along with the others, will be broadcasted tonight," Plutarch said. I walked out without looking at him. Grandpa had been mad at him. I would be mad at him.

**I know this is short, but in my eyes, it was always meant to be a short chapter. Sorry if you wanted a longer chapter, but this is the way things are.**

**Questions!**

**1) What score do you think Katrina should get? I'm thinking a 7 or 8, but I would love to get your thoughts.**

**2) Did you like Sheeshey and Katrina's talk about Capitol stuff?**

**3) Any Clato shippers out there? I'll be honest, at first I didn't ship it at first, but it's been growing on me. I mean, there's even text evidence!**


	10. Chapter 10

**I know I'm throwing you updates, but I'm getting more and more excited, because I've finally decided how this will end. :-)**

**Disclaimer: Yes, I'm sure Suzanne Collins would have a pen-name that relates more to the PJO fandom than her own. Keep dreaming. **

"You ready?" Beetee asked, and I shifted on the couch. I wasn't sure.

"I think I did okay. What's the average score for this game?" I asked. Last year was about a 6, for a non-career.

"A five-ish. So don't be disappointed, okay? And pay attention to all the scores, if you can. You'll want to know what you're up against," Beetee told me. I bit my lip as the TV flared on.

Caesar Flickerman appeared on the screen. I jolted. "He was working for the rebels?" I asked no one in particular.

Beetee shook his head. "Honestly, he was neutral. We figured out that he would support whatever side won. So we convinced him to do this," he responded. I turned back to the TV.

"Hello, Panem! Here we are for the scores of the 76th Hunger Games! Now, let's get started." Caesar roared, and there was clapping in the background. _Rebels, _I thought.

"Johnny Pepeni, with a score of 4!" Caesar called. Honestly, after that I stopped listening, except when it got to Sheeshey.

"Sheeshey Garlenia, with a score of 7!" I smiled. Seven was a good score, so we would get sponsors.

"Katrina Snow, with a score of 8!" I cheered. I scored higher than Sheeshey! I would get sponsors! I smiled again. Beetee elbowed me. It was Uniqua's turn.

"Uniqua Jade, with score of 6!" I smiled. It was pretty good as well, we would be getting lots of sponsors, of that I was sure.

I tuned out again until it was Ashley's turn. I wanted to make sure I had a higher score than her.

"Ashley Ellis, with a score of 8!" What? _I_ was supposed to get the higher score! I huffed, listening for Annie's score.

"Annie Jenson, with a score of 7!" I huffed again, turning from the screen. I stayed that way until Beetee noticed.

"Katrina!" he scolded. "Watch!" I groaned, but turned to see Vivian, the one from the rock wall, come up.

"And last, but certainly not least, Vivian Powdonceon, with a score of 5! Good night, and remember to tune in tomorrow night for the Tribute Interviews!" There was more clapping, and then the screen went black.

"Happy?" Beetee asked.

"About what?" I asked, confused.

"With you and your allies' scores," Beetee explained.

"Yeah. I mean, we should get lots of sponsors, right? The only score that tied was mine was Ashley, right?" I was full of confidence.

Beetee rolled his eyes. "If you had been _watching_, then you would have seen that someone got a nine."

"Who?" I asked. "It better not be that little 'Lily' who couldn't even tie a knot. And it better not be Ellie - she's only 10."

"Actually, it was Seemoi, that 19 year old," Beetee told me.

"Why is she in the games?" I asked.

Beetee told me it was because her uncle, Ellie's dad, was the Head Peacekeeper of the whole Peacekeeper organization.

"Well, sleep well. Tomorrow, since you already have good manners, Capitol speaking, I will be teaching you about the interviews and your angle." Beetee began to wheel himself to his room. I got up and walked to my room. I fell asleep as soon as my head hit the pillow.

_I was running. Fast. Sheeshey and Uniqua were running right behind me. Suddenly, Ashley and Annie were right in front of us. I veered left. Sheeshey veered right. Uniuqa didn't see them, and ran straight into Annie's sword. I yelled, but Ashley had turned to me; I had to keep running. I had to. Had to run as fast as humanly possible. I wondered if Annie had gotten Sheeshey, if Annie had gutted her as easily as she had Uniqua. These thoughts passed though my mind, but none stayed. I had to keep running. "Come on, coward! Why won't you stay and fight?" She flung a knife at me. It lodged in my arm. I cried out in pain, just as a cannon boomed. Uniqua? Sheeshey? An unnamed tribute? I didn't know. Annie might know. I felt a searing pain in my back. I couldn't go on. I fell to the ground. Ashley stood over me, grinning insanely. She brought her knife down, right at my heart..._

I woke, drenched in sweat. I looked over. Beetee was sitting there, right by my bed. I probably looked horrid. "What are _you_ doing here?" I asked.

"You were yelling," he told me. "I wanted to make sure you were... okay." Beetee looked away.

"I look horrid, don't I?" I asked, but it wasn't a question, not really.

"You look like someone coming back from working at the Factories," he said. I glared at him, and asked what the time was.

"Check yourself. Then get up. I need to prep you. I stayed up most of the night trying to find an angle for you." Beetee glared at me, like it was my fault, and wheeled himself out of the room. I sighed, and went to shower.

-o-O-o-

I chose sparkly jeggings and a white blouse with silver sparkles on the neckline. I slipped into ballet flats, because I would just be inside, and went to the diner.

"Oh! You look so pretty!" Octavia eyed my outfit. "It's awesome!"

"Thanks," I said, and took my seat. I was glad that at least Octavia understood fashion.

"Let's go. Into your room, now!" Beetee said, and I protested.

"I haven't gotten breakfast!" I said, putting bacon onto my plate. I shoved some of it into my mouth, of course using manners.

"Well grab an apple or something and let's go!" Beetee wheeled into my room before I could protest. Octavia patted my leg, and handed me three rolls and an apple.

"That should be enough, right? Any more and Beetee will be mad," she whispered. I nodded my thanks, grabbed the food, and walked to my room. Beetee was waiting for me. He patted the bed, and I sat down.

"So, what do you think your angle should be?" Beetee asked.

"I thought you had come up with one?" I asked.

"Yes, but I want to get your opinion," Beetee explained. I huffed, but thought.

"Maybe... well, I don't really know," I said.

"I was thinking self-assured or indifferent," Beetee said. "Which one would you like to do?"

"I don't care - anything will get me sponsors," I said. Beetee laughed.

"Do both,'' he commanded.

"Fine," I snapped. Then, "What am I wearing?"

"Be patient. First I'll quiz you. Remember to use your angle - I'll ask you questions, and answer them using that." Beetee had no excitement over style. I mean, come _on_!

I huffed, and looked at Beetee. However, he was wheeling himself to the door.

"We're going to the living room." With that, he disappeared. I sighed and walked to the living room.

-o-O-o-

"Tell me about your family, Katrina," Beetee said. He was sitting on a plush chair opposite of me. I was on the leather futon. He had already explained how I was going to use my angle. He said that because the angle was basically my personality, I would act just like myself, but a bit more exaggerated.

"Well, my mom died giving birth to me, and my dad fathered me until he was forced to move to the districts," I said. "Then, Grandpa took me in." Beetee nodded wisely.

"Was your father's name, by any chance, Aquila?" Beetee asked. Surprised, I nodded. Beetee broke his act to sigh.

"I knew Aquila," he explained. "The district he moved to was 3 - he changed his last name to Rain, but mostly every one knew it was actually Snow. He died right before the 73rd Games." I sighed.

"So he survived for four years in the districts? I would _never_ be able to do that!" I exclaimed. Beetee just sighed.

"So, Katrina, do you have a plan for the arena tomorrow?" Beetee got right back into character.

"Well, I plan on sticking with my allies, Sheeshe-" Beetee cut me off.

"_Don't_ mention your allies by name. And don't give too much away about your strategy and choice of weapon," Beetee told me sternly. I nodded - Beetee was someone I had to listen to.

"Fine. I plan on sticking with my allies, and surviving for as long as I can," I said.

"I think that's what a lot of your fellow tributes are thinking," Beetee said. "Why do you want to come home?"

Surprised, I blinked. _What kind of question was that? _

"Well, I really don't need the money, but it would be nice to have; the rebels might take away Grandpa's wealth... I want to live - I don't want to die just yet," I finally said. Beetee finally looked at me like I was human.

He mumbled something, then chuckled to himself.

"Well, that's it. I'm going to do some stuff; have the rest of the day off." Beetee exited quickly, leaving me alone. I wandered to my room, not sure what I was doing. But I was _not_ expecting Octavia to be sitting on my bed, doing her nails, with a hanger hanging from the top of the bed.

**MWHAHAHAHAHA! I really wanted to update, and so... School will be letting out for me of June 12, so expect a more constant flow of updates. Probably. More time to write. *shrugs* I've been reading TMI - I just finished CoFA. So.**

**1) Do you think I should have done more training scores?**

**2) Do you like cliffhangers?**

**3) What do you think Katrina's outfit will be? I'm not really sure what it should be, so ideas are good!**

**4) What do you think of her angle(s)? Do they suit her?**

**May the odds be ****_ever_**** in your favor!**


	11. Chapter 11

**Hi. I started this chapter at school. Heehee. But then, I was kinda busy, and I've been reading overtime, and the result is no time to write. But now it is summer and all that, and I should have more time to write. Anyway, I present... A CHAPTER!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own THG. There. I have done the disclaimer.**

"I've got your outfit!" Octavia called. I smiled.

"Good! Beetee doesn't care _at all_ about style. What am wearing?" I asked, plopping down on the bed.

Octavia reached for the sheet. Tugging it off, she smiled. I sighed in admiration. The dress was white all over. Silver lined the edges. It would match perfectly with my eyes. Then, Octavia pulled out bright white shoes and silver clasp bracelets. She put this all on the bed. I sighed again. Octavia looked at the clock.

"Put it on while I get something," she told me. She left, and I put the dress on, slipped into the shoes, and clasped on the bracelets. The dress reached to my ankles, so you could just see the shoes, and the sleeves were to my wrists. They tightened at the wrists, then loosened so that they covered half my hand. I twirled, when Octavia came in. I couldn't see what she was holding, so I stopped spinning.

"Come with me," she commanded. I followed her into the bathroom. I stood in front of the mirror, and she plugged something into an outlet. Finally, I realized it was a straightener. She started to straighten my hair.

-o-O-o-

I touched my hair carefully. It was straightened and tightly braided down my back, with white roses braided into it. Octavia smiled and grabbed her make-up kit. Octavia turned my face toward her.

She ended up putting mildly heavy mascara on my eyelashes with light gray eyeshadow on my lids. Light pink lipstick went on my lips. She turned me to the mirror, and I nodded. She smiled, and we walked to the diner together.

-o-O-o-

After eating an apple, Beetee directed me to the elevator, telling me he would follow. I sighed, but I knew the way to the interview place. I went - I wasn't going to die because I angered Beetee. Nope.

Uniqua was in the elevator too. ''Oh! You look so pretty!'' She smiled. I smiled back. She was wearing a dark forest green dress that tightened around the waist then flowed back out. She was wearing black heels, and a spring green headband that matched her eyebrows. Her hair was in a ponytail.

"Same to you," I said. She thanked me.

-o-O-o-

I stood in line - Sheeshey was right in front of me, and Uniqua behind me. Sheeshey was wearing a black dress, with her hair pinned back with black hair-clips. She had her hair curled and it rested on her back. Her makeup made her look deadly. I thought we looked wonderful. _Good, we'll get sponsors, _I thought. Then, I caught sight of _her_.

Ashley was wearing a blood red dress and ebony black heels. Her hair was just like it normally was: down and brushed. She looked deadly. And she looked beautiful. _Darn it,_ I thought. _She would get sponsors. _

Annie would get sponsors as well. She had a pale purple dress and white heels. Her hair was up in a high ponytail. I sighed.

Just then, they lead us to the stage. We filed in and sat in the assigned chairs. Soon, Caesar came to the stage and Johnny was called up.

"Johnny Penpini! Hello!" Caesar said, smiling. Johnny smiled slightly.

"Hiya," he responded, glumly. I rolled my eyes.

"So, are you enjoying your stay here?" Caesar asked the dumbest questions.

"Well, I'm a bit nervous, of course. But other than that, the stay is okay. I lived in the Capitol already, so it's not much different," Johnny said. I sighed dramatically, and Uniqua looked over with a smirk. Her eyes said, _This is the most boring thing in the world._

_I know._ My eyes responded.

I decided to zone out, just as in the score showings. Finally, I jerked. Uniqua had elbowed me. "Katrina Snow!" Caesar called.

I had missed Sheeshey's interview! I gulped, got up, and walked over to Caesar.

"Hello, Katrina!"

I smiled. "Hello!" I said back.

"Now, if I've heard correctly, you're a Snow?" Caesar asked, cocking his head to the side. I nodded in response.

"Now, if you will, could you tell me about your family?" I was shocked, just slightly. That was one of Beetee's questions!

"Well," I said, deciding to go with what I had told Beetee. There was no use in lying; the rebels wouldn't care, but they could use lying to my disadvantage. "My mother died giving birth to me, so I was raised by my father. Then, he was forced to move to the Districts, and Grandpa took me in," I told the audience and Caesar. The latter nodded.

"And, tell me about your training score. An eight! What did you do to earn yourself such a score?" Caesar asked.

"Well, I..." I trailed off, remembering what Beetee had said. _Don't give too much information. _

"You'll just have to see," I said finally. "The Games are tomorrow, after all." I smiled at the last bit. The Games!

"And we can't wait! Now, do you have a plan for the arena? Any alliances?" Caesar looked truly interested. I bit my lip.

"Well, I have two allies. And yes, I have a plan," I said carefully. Caesar nodded enthusiastically.

"Well, would you be so kind as to tell us that plan of yours? Or your allies?" Caesar really looked like he wanted to help me; I had to remember that he was working for the rebels now.

"Well, you'll just have to see. The alliance should be pretty easy to see, after all, the Games are tomorrow," I reminded the rebels. There were yells and shouts of excitement from the audience. At least, I thought so.

''And what a beautiful dress you have on. It reminds me of your grandfather! Would you like to twirl in it for us?" Caesar looked hopeful, and I didn't know what to do. So I twirled.

I was amazed. The silver on the hems glowed softly, then brighter, and brighter, until I was illuminated by their glow. I stopped spinning, and Caesar look disappointed. I sat down again.

Caesar opened his mouth just as my buzzer went off. "Let's give a big round of applause to Katrina Snow!" Caesar called as I took my seat. "Next, welcome on the stage..." He trailed off. I realized, sitting in my seat, that he was trying to draw out the suspense.

"Uniqua Jade!" Caesar called. I decided to watch Uniuqa's interview, so that I would know what she had said. Then, I would half-watch until I got to Ashley and Annie's because I wanted to catch any useful bits of information.

"Hello, Uniqua!" Caesar said.

Uniqua nodded back at him. "Hello," she said, without any emotion.

"So, are you excited for the Games tomorrow?" Caesar asked.

"Yes," Uniqua responded. I frowned. This wasn't like Uniqua at all!

"Can you tell me about your training score? A six! Very impressive!" Caesar went along with that question, though I was sure he was realizing what I was: Uniqua's angle was silent and deadly. Out of our group of three, she would be the best one for that: she was slightly taller than the rest of us, and she had more muscle too. However, she had most of it, not all of it, surgically removed last year. That explained a lot of things. Satisfied, I went back to watching her interview.

I had missed Uniqua's response for that last question, and the next question. I just caught Uniqua's response.

"Yes." She told Caesar.

"How many allies do you have?" Caesar asked, sticking to one-worded answers so that Uniqua could answer them.

"Two," she said, just as her buzzer went off. I sighed in relief; seeing Uniqua like that wasn't exactly comforting.

Caesar asked for applause, then called the next tribute onto the stage. "Lilian Yhana!" I half tuned out, just catching the fact that she was playing innocent, had two allies (which I already knew) and was happy with her score of 4.

The next interview was also boring. It was a boy who insisted to be called Denny. He was playing laid-back, had no allies, and was okay with his score of 6. Hs mentor didn't tell him not to give to much information, because he revealed that he could use a spear fairly well, which was how he got his 6. He thought he was going to get a 7 or 8. I sighed softly.

Then, it was Annie's turn, and I tuned in fully. I didn't learn much: Annie was very secretive. The only thing I learned was that she was from District One, but she was allowed to move here once her father did something for Grandpa, or something like that. I also learned that Ashley and she were second cousins or something like that, and Ashley moved here too. I filed that bit of information into my brain for later use.

Then, _finally_, it was Ashley's turn.

Caesar smiled. "Hello, Ashley!"

Ashley smiled back. "Hello, Caesar," she said.

"Now, what can you tell us of that training score of 8? Very impressive, if I do say!" Caesar leaned forward slightly, as if waiting for her words.

"Well, I can't say too much, of course..." Her voice trailed off as I thought.

_Who does she think she is? Instead of just _not_ saying stuff, "Little Miss Perfect" has to explain how she "can't say too much!" Then, she acts as if we're dumb - who says, "of course?" Uuuuggggg! She is so annoying! _I sigh, before realizing that in my fuming Ashley's interview was almost done.

"Now, one last question," Caesar said to Ashley. "Do you think you will have any enemies when you go into the arena?"

"Oh yes," Ashley said, smiling. "I know one alliance I'm just _dying_ to kill, one by one. Pun not intended. And I know they'll try as hard as they can to kill my ally and me."

Her buzzer didn't go off, though, so Caesar asked one last question. "Who would that alliance consist of?"

I could almost feel Ashley smirking as she said, "Sheeshey Garlenia, Uniqua Jade, and Katrina Snow, of course." Then, finally, her buzzer went off.

I was fuming. How dare she say that about us! And she revealed our alliance! She's right, I will make it a point to kill her, in the Games.

I glanced over at Uniqua first. She look fuming mad, too. We exchanged glances. Then, I looked over to Sheeshey. She was glaring at Ashley, and Annie too. I couldn't see her glare directly, but somehow I knew it was her special cold-as-ice glare. It made me feel slightly better.

-o-O-o-

"Katrina!" I heard Sheeshey hiss.

"What?" I hissed back.

"What should we do?" Sheeshey asked. We were in my room, after we convinced our mentors to let us have a sleep-under. They were like, the latest fashion.

"You spaced out," Uniqua explained. I nodded.

"I was thinking of Ashley and Annie. And I think we shouldn't take them out right away. They'll suspect that. Attack them later," I said.

"When they have more supplies," Sheeshey pointed out.

"We'd think," added Uniqua.

"Well, you know the plan for the Cornucopia, right? So when Sheeshey picks a direction, I just think we shouldn't run right for them. Maybe we could hide by their hide-out," I said in response.

"Unless they move all over the place," Uniqua pointed out.

"Then we can follow them." I decided to switch the subject.

"It's funny, last year we watched the games, this year we're in the games," I said, voicing my realization from a couple nights ago.

"Do you want me to do your hair?" Sheeshey asked. I shrugged. That was totally off topic, but Sheeshey did the best hair.

"Sure." I had taken my hair out of its braid a while back, but Octavia explained how my hair wasn't going to turn curly again until she pressed a button. That was all she had said. However, I liked my hair straight. When I won, I would probably get my hair permanently straightened.

"Let's do the circle,'' Uniqua suggested. I nodded my okay, and Sheeshey did too.

Sheeshey sat behind me to do my hair, I sat behind Uniqua to do her hair, and Uniqua did Sheeshey's hair.

"What do you want?" All three of us asked at the exact same time. We giggled.

"Braided bun, please," Sheeshey said.

"Braided crown for me!" I called.

"Can I have the ladder braid?" Uniqua asked.

"Okay," we all said in response to everyone else. Again, we giggled.

I smiled as I began Uniqua's ladder braid. It would look so good on her, with the length of her hair - it went down to just above her butt. Sheeshey's hair was perfect for the bun - it was long, but not too long, as it went to the small of her back.

-o-O-o-

Sheeshey and Uniqua were gone, so I finally took my braided crown out. I loved it, of course, but I had made a rule a while ago that I would never sleep with my hair up unless it was for a dare or for fashion reasons.

I changed into my silky PJs, and climbed into bed. Later, Octavia came in. "Oh good, you're in bed. Remember to get a good night of sleep, okay? Beetee or I will wake you up in the morning," Octavia told me. I nodded, and she left.

I felt tired, and I was sure I would fall asleep as soon as the lights were out. However, I had never been facing my maybe-death before.

**Teehee, Katrina's having problems! Okay, just saying, you guys know the feeling where you're reading a series and you can't do ****_anything_**** until you finish? Yeah, that happened to me. Fangirl problems can suck, but I like the fangirl life. *sigh* Question time!**

**1) I am giving you a chance to guess what the arena's going to be like, or (if you're very brave) what the arena outfit will be. If anyone gets one right, I'll give them something, and if you get both right you get a bigger something... The something will be explained next chapter, if anyone guesses and gets one or both right. **

**2) Thoughts on the interviews?**

**3) What do you think is going through Katrina's mind?**

**4) What are you most excited to see/most want to see in the Games? I will take suggestions, but I've already planned out the bloodbath and the finale. **

**5) How do you like Katrina's outfit? I got a suggestion for something that reflected on Pres. Snow, and made her stand out. How did I do on that?**

**The next chapter is about 1/3 written, to give you an idea of when you shall get another chapter. **

**Good luck, and may the odds be ****_ever_**** in your favor.**


	12. Chapter 12

**Hello again. Not as long of a wait!**

**No one reviewed my last chapter, so no one got the surprise. It was a one-shot in a fandom of your choice (that I knew) and it would be dedicated to you. And you could choose what it was about.**

**Disclaimer: **

**Me: Guess what?**

**Katrina: What?**

**Me: I don't own THG!**

I tossed and turned, before realizing it was futile. I wouldn't fall asleep. Sighing, I got up and slipped my feet into some slippers. There was one place I knew of that I could clear my head. Because it was chilly, I grabbed a sweater as I walked to the elevator. Putting it on, I got into the elevator before realizing it had been used recently. I shrugged; probably just some mentor or stylist that went out of the Center.

I pushed the R button, and I felt myself zoom up to the roof. The elevator opened, and I got a breath of fresh air. I stepped over to the railing - I wanted to look out over the beautiful city.

My hands tightened on the railing as I realized the city was silent. No one was celebrating. _Did the rebels take over the city? Or... is it because the Capitolites would never celebrate the death of 23 Capitol children? _

I watched a bit more, before turning. And saw that I was not alone on the roof. I gulped.

"Beetee?" I asked.

He came silently over, and I saw his wheelchair glint in the Capitol light. "What are you scared about?" he asked. I blinked at him. He had a sad smile on.

"The Games, perhaps?" I asked sarcastically. When Beetee rolled his eyes, I heard the wind rustling in the garden.

"What do you hope the arena is?" Beetee asked.

"Forest," I said immediately. "I know snares, and we all know how to climb trees." Beetee nodded.

"Good reasons," he said.

"Well? Am I correct?" I asked, annoyed.

Beetee hesitated. "Sort of. You'll just have to see. Do you have a plan for the arena?"

''Yes. And I won't tell you," I told him. Beetee smiled slightly.

"Then what are you worried about? And if you say death, I will push you off this building," Beetee said. I had no doubt that he would. **(I know there's a forcefield. Beetee probably could disabe it, though.)**

"What if we don't get the supplies we need?" I asked. "What if we cannot survive?"

"You have sponsors, I'll tell you that." Beetee looked like he was going to leave.

"What's it like? I asked quickly. Beetee looked at me, but I could tell he understood. Beetee was a District 3 Victor, after all.

"Scary. You are just a child, faced with other children who want your blood. Un-nerving. You never know if you will survive the day, or the night. But at the same time there is a sense as if it is a game that you must win - that you must prove someone wrong. That is what it is like for District tributes. I have no idea how you will feel, or even if you feel at all," Beetee said. I winced, but either he didn't notice or didn't care.

"I thought you cared about me," I whispered.

"It's been my job for about 40 years to help kids. And I'm not going to give up now. But I do not care about you as I did the others. But remember that however much I hate a tribute, I will always try. I cannot speak for the other mentors." Beetee went to the elevator, and disappeared. I took a deep breath, and walked over to the elevator myself. That is, until I heard the voice.

"Well, that was entertaining. When I win, I'll make it a point to come here and remember how broken you looked." The voice belonged the Ashley.

_Elevator had been used recently. Beetee's sad smile. The rustling in the garden. Of course. How could I be so stupid? _

Ashley stepped out into the light. She, too, was wearing PJs, but her's looked like they were cotton. She was wearing shoes. And though she had only short sleeves on, she wore no coat.

"How do you know you'll win, Ashley?" I asked, trying to sound brave.

"The odds are in my favor," she said. "Or have you not looked? For every 10 people that are voting, 5 are voting for me. I also checked yours. For every 10 people that are voting, 4 are voting for you." Ashley looked triumphant.

"Ashley, you've watched the Games. Just because someone has the most votes, doesn't mean they win," I told her. Honestly, was she stupid?

"But I might have a better chance," said Ashley softly.

"Might," I pointed out. "You said might."

"I'll give you this piece of advice for free." Ashley was looking directly at me. "Always assume you will die. That way, you avoid unpleasant surprises. They will still be unpleasant, but it won't be a surprise. And if you survive..." Ashley shrugged. "Then you have a pleasant surprise. As long as you don't get used to them."

"Used to what?" I asked.

"Wow, you really _are_ dumb, aren't you?" Ashley asked, not answering my question. And with that, she walked into the elevator and disappeared. I took a deep breath of fresh air, and then I followed her - after the elevator came back. And finally, I was able to sleep as soon as my head hit the pillow.

**So, not really a long chapter, more of a filler chapter. If you read my other multi-chapter story (PJO/HP Crossover) then you'll know I love filler chapters.**

**I am quite happy about how this turned out, though Katrina may be a bit too smart. Oh, and I've started reading a new series - the Ranger's Apprentice series. Consider yourself warned. And I can't think of any questions right now... so you have this dare that you can choose whether or not to do. **

**Spot the ****_The Ruins of Gorlan_**** quote reference. (Bk. 1, RA) **


	13. Chapter 13

**I lied. This still isn't the start of the Games. Next chapter, I swear. And yes, this is a short chapter. Live with me.**

**Disclaimer: Own THG I do not.**

"WAKE UP!" I heard someone yell. I groaned.

Someone shook my shoulder, and I opened my eyes just a crack. Beetee was in his wheelchair next to my bed. "Wake up," he said again, though he was quieter this time.

"Fine," I snapped.

"Just get into some comfy clothes, then come out to the diner," Beetee told me.

3

"Okay. Get out." I tumbled out of bed, then sat up quickly. I didn't want to ruin my hair. Beetee wheeled himself out.

I sighed, and walked to my closet. I pressed _Casual Clothes _to program my wardrobe, then looked through the different pants, shirts, and accessories.

I chose a light gray cotton skirt that went down to my ankles, and a white blouse. Then, I went to the diner.

"Here," Beetee said, holding out a circular silver locket with the Capitol seal on it.

''What is it?" I asked, taking the locket. I recognized it instantly; it was my favorite necklace. On the inside of the locket, there were two pictures. On one side, there was a picture of Uniqua, Sheeshey, and me. On the other, there was a picture of Mother, Father, and Grandpa.

"Your token. Last night there was a mentor meeting, and everyone got their tributes' tokens," Beetee explained.

"But I never got to choose a token," I protested.

"They chose what they thought your token would be," said Beetee. I nodded, accepting the explanation.

"Eat," Octavia commanded. "This is the last time you'll get food easily, so stock up."

I huffed, and grabbed my usual amount. After all, Beetee said I had sponsors. So I would get food.

-o-O-o-

"Are you ready?" Beetee asked, as I nodded, gulping. "Okay. Remember, I will be in the Control Center."

I nodded again. "Follow Octavia," Beetee said, and I stood to follow Octavia to the roof. There, a hovercraft, well, hovered. I stepped onto the ladder and instantly I was frozen. I rode up to the hovercraft, where an attendant put a tracker in my arm. _Now, they can never lose me! _

Finally, I was unfrozen. Octavia appeared, and we sat in the hovercraft while I sipped some water.

"When we get to the Launch Room, you can shower. Then, I will give you this year's outfit. Then, you know what happens." I nodded.

After a bit, the windows went blank. I knew it was because we were getting close to the arena.

"Can you tell me what the arena is?" I asked, hoping against hope that Octavia would tell me.

"Nope," Octavia chirped. "I cannot." I merely nodded.

The hovercraft lowered, then a door opened, and we were sent into the catacombs near the Launch Room.

-o-O-o-

Finally, we arrived in my Launch Room. This was so exciting!

"Okay, you can shower, while I get your outfit," Octavia told me. I nodded, then went to the shower.

When I came out with a robe over my body, Octavia was standing by a table with a package.

Silently, she handed me my outfit. Plain, simple, sturdy blue jeans. A plain, simple, long-sleeve white blouse. A jacket that felt fleecy; it was blue and had the name Colombia on it. Long, white cotton socks. Black combat boots, that laced up in the front. Black cotton gloves that clipped together. I stuffed those in my pockets for now. There was also a plastic rectangle with the name **Katrina Snow **in bold, black letters. Octavia clipped it to my jacket. Then, I slipped my locket around my neck.

"Every person has a different color. It starts at the beginning of the rainbow, then goes down. Number 1 is light red, 2 is plain red, 3 is dark red, 4 is bright, neon orange, 5 is dull orange, 6 is neon yellow, 7 is plain yellow, 8 is dark yellow, 9 is bright green, 10 is plain green, 11 is forest green, 12 is bright blue, you are plain blue, 14 is navy blue, 15 is bright purple, 16 is plain purple, 17 is dark purple, 18 is neon pink, 19 is plain pink, 20 is gold, 21 is silver, 22 is bronze, 23 is gray, 24 is black, and so on," Octavia explained. "Also, everyone has a name tag, just like you." I nodded.

I put the stuff on. Then, Octavia pulled my hair into two tight fishtail braids.

-o-O-o-

_"One minute until launch,"_ a pleasant female voice said, and I - my fishtails done - stepped onto the platform. I gave Octavia a tight smile, as the voice said, _"30 seconds until launch." _

"Remember, you have sponsors. Good luck," Octavia said, as the tube started to close around me. I touched the glass, and Octavia waved. I waved back.

I felt myself be raised; then, I could finally see the arena.

I took a sharp intake of breath, and I could feel others do the same. Because we recognized the arena.

The Gamemakers had brought us home.

**Don't worry, guys. There is more in store for the arena. And, sorry for lying. (It wasn't intentional.) But I totally forgot that this ending would be awesome. *smirks* **

**Thanks for all your support, I hope you liked this chapter.**


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